Better Off
by vashluver1
Summary: One shot songfic. Elvis is back? Wait... no. Vash is back and he and Millie go to the bar while Meryl stays home. Moral of the fic: be careful what you write at 4 in the morning.


**Disclaimer- I don't own Trigun. I don't own Ashlee Simpson's song, Better Off.**

**Ha! I'm making another songfic. I've been focusing on my fic, Oh my… It's Vash the Stampede, which is almost done by the way. I'm sorry if Meryl or Vash seem a little OOC in this fic. I tried. You guys know how much I love that mushy good stuff. R&R!!!**

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**Better Off**

Meryl woke up with a huge headache. Vash and Millie had been celebrating Vash's homecoming by going to the bar. Meryl volunteered to stay home and watch over Knives. He had woken up and he kept probing into her mind. This morning she felt like she had a hangover.

Millie and Vash were sleeping in because of their _real _hangovers. Meryl slowly stepped downstairs and made herself a cup of coffee. She had forgotten that she was wearing Vash's coat, which they had retrieved from the desert. When Vash came home with Knives thrown over his shoulder, he realized that he was attached to it so much. Millie let him borrow their car and they drove off and brought back the old red coat.

Meryl had grabbed the coat when Vash and Millie left it to go to the saloon. She covered her face with it and memorized Vash's scent. She slipped it on, after making sure Knives was asleep, knowing Vash wouldn't be home till really late at night and fell into a deep slumber.

Meryl sat down at the kitchen table. While groping for the newspaper in the early 4:00 dark, she accidentally knocked her mug of coffee all over Vash's coat. The frustrated brunette cursed under her breath.

_**The sky is falling  
And it's early in the morning  
But it's ok somehow  
I spilt my coffee, it went  
All over your clothes  
I gotta wear mine now**_

Vash woke up to footsteps walking slowly down the stairs. He grabbed his head. "Ugh… my head," he mumbled. He opened the door a bit and spotted Meryl in his coat. He smiled, looking at her lifting up the bottom of the coat while walking down the stairs. "It's so big on her," he whispered to no one in particular.

_**And I'm always, always, always late  
And my hair's a mess,  
Even when it's straight**_

Meryl took off the coat and ran a hand through her messy short black hair thankful that she still had on her big, long white night shirt on. She bundled up the coat and threw it in the washer.

_**But so what,  
I'm better off everyday  
When I'm standing in the pouring rain, I don't mind  
I think of you and everything's alright  
I used to think i had it good  
But now i know that i misunderstood  
With you I'd say, I'm better off in every way**_

Meryl looked through the mail she had checked yesterday before Vash arrived. "Bills, bills, and more bills. Millie, Millie, bills, Millie… Me? I never get mail." She set the letter aside and kept looking. "Vash? He was only here for about two weeks before he left. How did someone get this address? Millie, bills, ELVIS?! Who...? Ok? Anyway… bills, Millie, Millie, Millie, me? What the…?" She found two more letters addressed to her.

"Dear Meryl,

How have you been? I've missed you. I got your letter about finding Vash the Stampede and having to follow him around all the time. I haven't gotten a letter in a while. Are you dead? If you're dead, I'm going to kill you! Anyway, I kind of want to meet him. You wrote saying he was kind of cute. If this is he being nosy and going through your mail, I'm sorry for putting it down on paper."

Meryl laughed at that.

"Anyway," the letter continued. "I hope you're well. Visit me if you ever get into December sometime. Love ya lots!

Gabrielle"

Meryl grabbed the next letter. It said pretty much the same thing like, "How have you been?" "You haven't written in a while," and "You should come visit me. Bring Vash the Stampede! I wanna meet him!" The next two said the same.

Meryl picked up some sheets of paper and a pen and began writing back to each friend.

"Dear Gabrielle/Rachelle/Kat/Fern,

I've been great. I'm glad you miss me. I'm not dead. I think I've fallen in love with Vash. I know. You're going to read this and faint but I think I really love him. Millie agrees. You all remember Millie. She knows everything. So… you want to meet Vash? …"

_**My friends keep callin'  
They say, they say I'm stallin'  
And they wanna meet you now  
I tell them hell no, i say  
We're tryin' to lay low  
Don't wanna lose what I've found**_

Vash cautiously walked down the stairs trying not to catch Meryl's attention. He heard her laugh. 'What is she doing down there?' He quietly stepped up behind her and read what she held in her hand. It was a note. He stifled a laugh when he read, "If this is he being nosy and going through your mail, I'm sorry for putting it down on paper." 'Wait a second… The note said Meryl wrote saying I was cute! So there _is _a chance!'

_**Things are finally, finally lookin' up  
Oh my feet are on the ground  
Even though I'm stuck**_

Vash stayed behind her while she started writing a reply. He covered his mouth in shock trying to stop a gasp that was coming on. "I think I've fallen in love with Vash. I know. You're going to read this and faint but I think I really love him. Millie agrees. You all remember Millie. She knows everything."

_**But so what,  
I'm better off everyday  
When I'm standing in the pouring rain, I don't mind  
I think of you and everything's alright  
I used to think i had it good  
But now i know that i misunderstood  
With you I'd say, I'm better off in every way**_

Meryl kept writing, oblivious to the presence behind her. "I think about him all the time. When I feel like killing myself, I always think of that one thing he said on the first day I met him. 'But I disapprove of suicide more than anything.' And he's always happy! But when he's sad, it makes me sad. I don't like it when he's depressed. I just want him to love me, too. You guys have had tons of boyfriends in your lifetime. I've had a couple but I've never felt anything for them compared to the way I feel about Vash…"

Vash jumped for joy in his own skin.

_**Things are finally, finally lookin' up  
Oh my feet are on the ground  
Even though I'm stuck  
Even though I'm stuck**_

He kept reading what she was writing. "Every time I think about him, I get this tingling sensation. It took me a while to figure out that it was love. He makes me so happy. I'm glad he's back. You know… his brother is kind of hot, too. Well, they _are _twins. Yes, he has a twin brother and no you can't have sex with him. I know you want to. I hope you saw the picture I sent to you of Vash." She sighed. "I know. He is really, really cute. But if we visit and you tell him that, I _will_ hurt you. Oh great. Now I can't threaten you without thinking about him. He's a pacifist. He can't stand to kill anybody. 'No one has the right to take the life of another,' he says. God, I love him so much."

_**But so what,**  
**I'm better off everyday  
When I'm standing in the pouring rain, I don't mind  
I think of you and everything's alright  
I used to think i had it good  
But now i know that i misunderstood  
With you I'd say, I'm better off in every way**  
_

She wrote her sincerely and started to slip the letter in an envelope, but stopped and thought a second. She picked up her pen again. "PS. I'm only going to write one copy of this letter because my hand hurts like hell so read this aloud to everyone. Thanks. Love, love, Meryl."

She put the letter in the envelope and wrote Gabrielle's address on it. Meryl looked out the window for a moment. The sun was just beginning to come up. Vash had forgotten his headache until Meryl rubbed her head. "Damn it. I hate Knives," she muttered. She shivered and got up to make some more coffee.

Vash picked up the mug Meryl left on the table and brought it to her as she finished making the hot drink. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I think you forgot this."

"Thank you," she replied but stopped and turned around and took the mug. The surprised woman looked up into his eyes and accidentally dropped the mug in shock. Vash caught it before it hit the floor. Meryl blinked.

"May I have some?" he asked.

"H- help yourself," Meryl stuttered._  
_

_**Yeah, yeah**_

They sat at the table together and looked into each other's eyes while sipping the bitter liquid. Vash broke the silence. "How was Knives last night?" he asked.

"Uh, well. He didn't really cause any trouble. He was just annoying. That idiot kept reading and talking in my mind. It was so frustrating. So now I have a headache. How the bar?"

"Oh, it was like usual," Vash answered.

"So you both got drunk?" Meryl cocked an eyebrow.

Vash scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah… just a little," he replied. "So, what have you been doing all morning?"

"Reading letters," said Meryl, vaguely.

"What kind of letters," Vash dove deeper.

"Letters from my friends."

"What did they say?"

"They wanted to know how I was doing and why I haven't been writing lately."

"Have you told them about me?"

"Yes."

"What did you say?"

"I just told them about my job. Nothing else."

"Ok. What have they said about me?"

"Nothing really. They just want to meet you to see if you're really as evil as people make you out to be."

"Right…" Vash tried to back her into a corner. "What do you think about me, Meryl?" he asked.

"I think you're a droopy-eyed, cocky, skirt chasing idiot who is nuts for doughnuts and gorges them like a starved hog in heat," she replied lightly.

"That's really flattering," Vash said sarcastically. "Do you want to know what I think about you?"

_**Better off in every way  
I'm better off in every way  
I'm better off today**_

"S- sure," Meryl said.

He leaned closer to her. "I think you're a gorgeous, temperamental, insurance girl who is afraid over her own feelings. But I'm here to change that." He leaned closer to her so his lips were an inch apart. "That's what I think."

In her mind, she was debating whether to kiss him or not. 'Why should I? He doesn't like me! He'd probably laugh and push me away then pack and leave sometime when I turn my back. Oh but he's so hot! His lips are right there. They're right there! Fine, conscience! I'll do what you want me to do."

She slowly pressed her lips against his. To Meryl's happiness, Vash didn't pull away. Instead, he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Vash pulled away smiled his usual $$60 billion smile. Meryl smiled back.

The washer stopped, indicating Vash's coat was done. Meryl ran a hand through her hair. "Uh, Vash? I forgot to tell you. I kind of spilt coffee on your coat," she said in a rush. Vash laughed and just kissed her again.

_**The sky is falling  
And it's early in the morning  
But it's ok**_

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AN- OOOH!!! That was so much fun. Ashlee Simpson rocks. Almost everyone hates her, now, because of her SNL disaster. I still like her music. Anyway, I hope you liked this fic as much as I do. You readers know I'm known for my intense fluffiness and romance. Oh… It's not my fault! I like it and I really hope you do, too. Please, please, please review!!! Thank you, readers. 


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